Process foe



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT GRANT, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

PROCESS FOR IVIAKING ILLUMINATINGr-GAS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 16,480, dated January 27, 1857.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT GRANT, of the city of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Method of Making Carbureted Hydrogen Gas; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which drawings are lettered to correspond with and constitute a part of this specification.

Descmpt0n.-The nature of my invention consists in the use of fused metals in connection witha suitable retort so`constructed as to pass distilled carbonahydrous vapors, or substances, beneath or in immediate contact with the surface of such fused metal, or metals, thereby facilitating the production of carbureted hydrogen gas, by presenting to the material to be formed into gas, a fluid red hot metallic surface, and which also rapidly conducts heat thereby evolving the gas with a fire of smaller volume and intensity than is now used for an equal quantity of gaseous products.

To enable others skilled in the art to construct and operate my invention I will describe it as follows.

I construct my retort in any of the know'n forms adding thereunto a convenient arrangement whereby the gaseous product is caused to be formed in immediate connection with the fluid metal (m Figure 2. My usual method of effecting this combined object is by constructing a vertical retort (a,) Figs. 1 and 2, (fixed in a furnace (b,)) in the bottom of which is placed a quantity of lead (m,) or any other metal, which fuses at a low temperature; this lead, or its equivalent, I usually cause to fill the retort, t-wo. inches more, or less, from the bottom. In connection with the retort (a,) I construct a cylinder (0,) one inch less in diameter than the interior of the retort (a). The cylinder (c) is attached to a retort cover (Z,) having a flange (6,) that fits into a groove in the upper circumference of the retort (a,) into this groove I place fusible alloy, or clay luting, when I desire to connectmy retort for making gas; the heat of the retort being suflicient to melt the fusible alloy where such is used. Near the bottom of the interior of the cylinder (0,) I place a movable diaphragm (f,) which can be readily disconnected when the cylinder is required to be charged with bituminous coal, or other carbonahydrous substances for the purpose of making gas; and when thus filled or charged, the diaphragm (f,) is replaced, and serves to support the coal 71,) or other substances in the act of making in contact with the lead In the bottom edge of the cylinder (0,) about one half inch below the diaphragm (f,) I cast or cut, a series of slits, or slats, the upper end of which must be fully one fourth of an inch below the fused lead surface; when the cylinder is fixed in the retort and in the act of making gas, these slits,` or slats, serve to divide the carbonahydrous vapors which may be distilled from the coal in the cylinder, when expanding, and forcing their way through the fused lead (m,) in which the bottom of the cylinder (c) is immersed. By thus dividing the they are diverged into numerous jets, which pass beneath, and through, the bath of red hot fluid metal; by this means the great desideratum of a clean, red hot, metallic surface, is at all times presented to the first products of gaseous distillation eliminated from the material in the cylinder, causing its perfect conversion into aeriform gas. s

All carbonaceous deposits which gather upon the interior surfaces of ordinary retorts, are alleviated by using fused metals, in the manner above described as the deposits in this case merely float upon the surface of such fused metal, leaving the track of the gaseous vapors through the body of the metal constantly clean, and in the most favorable condition for making gas. I/Vhen I aiiix the concurrent fused metal bath, to ordinary retorts as now used in gas houses I till the hydraulic main; or its equivalent plate so far with the fusible metal, that the eduction pipes from the retorts shall be immersed about one half 'inch beneath the surface thereof; these eduction pipes, must be serrated, or grooved, at the terminus, as is the cylinder (0,) Plate 2, or Fig. 2; the several iire flues from the furnace must run into a main flue beneath this main, thereby heating the metal therein to a fusible temperature; various openings are required to be fitted to this main to be used, when required to clean the carbon &c. from the surface of the fused metal.

Whe-n vertical retorts of a large size are ing gas; and prevents the same from comi vapors used the interior cylinders (0,) may be removed and operated with a tackle, for the purpose of holding the cylinder (0,) securely in the retort When in the act of making gas. I use a bail (7c, Fig. 1,) attached by ears (l, 2,) to the furnace (2),) this bail swings over the retort cover ((5,) and confines the same to the retort by a set screw (a).

The gas is purified by being passed from the retort- (65,) through the pipe (0,) into the clenser (29,) from which it is transferred to` the gasometer (g,) and finally from thence to the burners I am aware that vertical retorts With interior cylinders have been heretofore used for the ostensible purpose of reheating the gas. Such a contrivance presenting merely a solidvmetallic face is however only equivalent to passing the gas, or distilled, hydrocarbonaceous vapor over heated bricks, or anthracite coal, which has equally been long in common use, and equally liable to be clogged With iiXed carbon.

I do not confine myself to the above described or any other mechanical de vice for passing gas, or hydrocarbon vapors, beneath, or in immediate Contact With the surface of fused met-als. An

endless variety of methods for elfeeting this purpose Will be readily suggested to the mechanical mind, and therefore I desire to be free to adopt that which for the time, and place, may be considered the most convenient. A variety of metals, and their alloys may also be used for this purpose such as lead, zinc, tin, antimony, bismuth, &c., &c. Of these metals, lead, or zinc, I consider' preferable to others as they fuse at a low temperature and are suiificiently cheap and available for common use.

That I claim as my invent-ion and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is- Passing the products of the dest-ructive distillation of coal and other substances yielding carbureted hydrogen (gas) through fus-ed metals; fusible at a low temperature in the manner and for the purpose substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I here-unto subscribe my name in the presence of tWo Witnesses.

ROBERT GRANT.

vVitnessesz DAVID D. DEMING, JAMES l?. MCLEAN. 

